CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of protection of information assets. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An organization uses role-based access control (RBAC) for its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. What is the greatest risk if user role assignments are not reviewed regularly?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Privilege creep, where users retain permissions no longer needed.
In RBAC, permissions are assigned to roles, and users inherit those permissions through role membership. Without regular reviews, users may retain roles (and thus permissions) long after their job functions change, leading to privilege creep. This violates the principle of least privilege and increases the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches within the ERP system.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Inconsistent application of password policies across roles.
Why it's wrong here
Password policies are typically applied globally, not role-specific.
✓
Privilege creep, where users retain permissions no longer needed.
Why this is correct
Privilege creep increases the attack surface and risk of unauthorized access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increased authentication failures due to expired passwords.
Why it's wrong here
Password expiration is separate from role reviews.
✗
Inability to track audit logs for user activity.
Why it's wrong here
Log tracking is independent of role reviews.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse the operational impact of role reviews (privilege creep) with other access control issues like password policies or logging, which are separate concerns in the Protection of Information Assets domain.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, RBAC implementations (e.g., NIST RBAC model) define role hierarchies and constraints such as separation of duties. In ERP systems like SAP or Oracle EBS, role assignments are stored in authorization tables (e.g., SAP's AGR_USERS). If a user is transferred to a new department but retains old roles, they may have conflicting access (e.g., both purchase order creation and invoice approval), violating segregation of duties controls. Regular recertification campaigns are required to detect and revoke such orphaned entitlements.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Protection of Information Assets — This question tests Protection of Information Assets — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Privilege creep, where users retain permissions no longer needed. — In RBAC, permissions are assigned to roles, and users inherit those permissions through role membership. Without regular reviews, users may retain roles (and thus permissions) long after their job functions change, leading to privilege creep. This violates the principle of least privilege and increases the risk of unauthorized access or data breaches within the ERP system.
What should I do if I get this CISA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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